In Italian an adjective is called aggettivo (singular) – aggettivi (plural).
Before we look at adjectives in Italian, we must first understand exactly what an adjective is.
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word used to describe another word. It gives us more information about a noun (noun = name of a thing, person etc.)
Hot, beautiful, tall, and red are examples of adjectives. They can be used to describe something.
- The food is hot.
Here the word hot is an adjective because it describes something (in this case it describes the food).
- I have a big dog.
Here the word big is an adjective because it describes something (in this case it describes the dog).
What is the adjective in the following sentences?
- He has a black cat.
- The book is old.
Sentence 1: Black is the adjective because it describes the cat.
Sentence 2: Old is the adjective because it describes the book.
Notice how in English, an adjective is often placed before a noun (old book) or after the verb To Be (The book is old.)
In Italian it is a little different as Italian adjectives are normally placed after a noun (and not before it as in English).
We will see more about Italian adjectives in the next lessons…